Ghala Golf Club unveils new brand and clubhouse at Kais Golf Celebration

Muscat: Ghala Golf Club held the first official edition of the the Kais Golf Celebration on Saturday, along with the opening of the new clubhouse and unveiling the club’s new brand identity.

The event was honoured by His Highness Sayyid Haitham bin Tariq Al Said, Minister of Heritage and Culture, with the Ghala Golf Club Chairman His Highness Sayyid Taimur bin As’ad Al Said.

His Highness Sayyid Taimur bin As’ad Al Said, remarked on the opening of the clubhouse, saying: “This is the first stage of our improvement plan with the clubhouse and the landscape around it, next we will target the course.

“We have plans in the future to make Ghala Golf Club as one of the leading clubs in the region. We are very happy with the progress we have made and the positive feedback from our members, as we are liberalising the club to enhance the community’s engagement. I would like to thank the previous leadership for their achievements. We realise it was not an easy task and appreciate the efforts put into this club, and we aim to complete the step forward as we promised.”

After concluding its test run last year, the Kais Golf Celebration also held its first official tournament.

The Kais Golf Celebration is held in remembrance of the late Sayyid Kais bin Tariq Al Said, who was chairman of the Ghala Golf Club from 1989 to 2011. Sayyid Kais was a golfing pioneer in Oman, and helped shift the focus of golfing from a hobby to a professional competitive sport during his leadership.

Sayyid Kais joined the Gala Golf Club in 1987, and played at a handicapped 8 level.

Mohamed Suleiman Al Wahaibi, a founding member of the national team and a colleague of the late Sayyid Kais, said: “Sayyid Kais was the godfather of golf in Oman and left behind a legacy for the sport in this country. He has sponsored Oman during regional championships, including a championship in Tunisia under Oman’s name, because we did not have a course at that time to host tournaments locally.”

The Ghala Golf Club was established merely months after Oman’s Renaissance and officially organised the first competition in December 1970. As the golf course transformed from a brown to a green one five years back, the enhancement of the overall facility followed by incorporating the newly developed and fully equipped clubhouse and brand.

The new fully fledged facility sits on top of the beautiful 18-hole grass golf course, Ghala Golf Club consists of a brand new fully-sized club house, pro shop, driving range, restaurant, outside terrace and entertainment lawn, showers and changing facilities, rental club facilities, golf cart and caddy hire as well as chipping and putting facilities.